The O-A News’ All-Area girls basketball teams

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Those two are Lee-Scott’s Melissa Maddox and Central’s Carolyn Wright.

They are the Opelika-Auburn News’ girls Player and Coach of the Year, awards that are slightly less prestigious than a Nobel prize, but much more so than a Grammy.

You can read about Maddox here, and Wright here.

And this is the rest of your girls All-Area team:

1st Team (3A-6A)
Laveeta Bellamy, Beauregard: 13.2 ppg, 8.0 apg, 7.9 spg
Valeeta Bellamy, Beauregard: 14.8 ppg, 12.3 rpg, honorable mention All-State in 5A
Monique Jackson, Central: 17.7 ppg, 18.7 rpg, 2nd-team All-State in 6A
Erika Jones, Smiths Station: 18.7 ppg, 14.9 rpg, 1st-team All-State in 6A
Erica Williams, LaFayette: 21.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, honorable mention All-State in 3A

2nd Team (3A-6A)
Alicia Beasley, Opelika
Halle Bentley, Auburn High
Kristi Mokube, Central
Kierra Scott, Auburn High
Kayla Whatley, Opelika

1st Team (AISA-2A)
Chantal Hall, Loachapoka: 24.9 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 6.0 spg. 1st-team All-State
Shamiya Hicks, Lanett: 15.7 ppg
Melissa Maddox, Lee-Scott: 19.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 5.9 spg. AISA and OA News girls Player of the Year
Bree Nowlin, Glenwood: 12.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.9 spg. 1st-team All-State in the AISA
Natasha Williams, Notasulga: 16.9 ppg, 3.0 apg, 7.0 spg

2nd Team (AISA-2A)
Kierra Billingsley, Edward Bell
Jasmine Dawson, Lanett
DeSharte Edwards, Edward Bell
Rachel Foster, Notasulga
Mandy Marriott, Glenwood

That’s all, folks. Tune in tomorrow for the boys.

A look at the candidates we think we know about

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Jay Jacobs might not have liked today’s main story in the Opelika-Auburn News.

There’s a bunch of speculation, and not too many hard facts about the potential candidates Auburn may or may not interview to replace Jeff Lebo. That’s because we don’t know much about how it’s going yet.

It’s exactly the thing Jacobs warned Auburn fans to be wary of during this search.

“Rumor and speculation will be rampant in the coming days,‘’ Jacobs wrote. “As in past searches, much, if not most, of what you may read or hear will be wrong. We will not refute rumors or comment on who will or won’t be considered or who has or hasn’t been interviewed. Our sole goal is to find the right man for Auburn.‘’

With that in mind, we went ahead and dumped a bunch of names out there anyways.

Here they are.

Mike Anderson - Missouri
Tony Barbee - UTEP
John Brady - Arkansas State
Mike Davis - UAB
Frank Haith - Miami
Johnny Jones - North Texas
Sam Mitchell - Unemployed
Chuck Person - Los Angeles Lakers

For more info on the elite eight, click here.

(Photo credit: AP)

Carr, Maddox, 10 others honored by ASWA

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Of which I am a member in good standing.

I hope.

So the Alabama Sports Writers Association released its All-State teams today, and 12 area players were first teamers, second teamers or honorable mentioners.

Edward Bell’s Damien Carr (pictured) and Mitch Joiner (not) took home Class 1A Player and Coach of the Year for their efforts in the Bears’ 27-2, state title-winning year.

Lee-Scott’s Melissa Maddox continued a tradition of Maddox excellence by winning the AISA girls Player of the Year honor, a year after teammate Jessie Washington won it.

I’ve spoken with Maddox before. I have photographic proof.

And I am vindicated!!!

A year after Loachapoka’s Chantal Hall was (I felt) unjustly given only an honorable mention in 1A, she made the first team this time around.

So congratulations to Damien, Melissa, Chantal and everyone else who was honored.

You deserve it.

For the second year in a row, an area team took home the Class 1A state championship.

And, for the second year in a row, that also meant a sweep of the 1A Player and Coach of the Year awards from the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Edward Bell’s Damien Carr and Mitch Joiner were named 1A Player and Coach of the Year on the ASWA’s All-State basketball teams, released today.

Carr averaged 20.9 points per game and hit 93 3-pointers for the Bears this season, earning Central Region MVP and Final 48 co-MVP honors. The 5-foot-10 senior guard will play in the Alabama-Mississippi game on March 19.

Joiner led Edward Bell to a 27-2 record in his first year as a head coach, and the first state title in any sport in the school’s 79-year history.

Loachapoka’s Tommy White Jr. and Terry Murph won the same awards after the Indians’ state title last year.

Lee-Scott’s Melissa Maddox also won AISA Girls Player of the Year, making it two years in a row for the Warriors after Jessie Washington won the award last year.

Maddox averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 steals for the Warriors, who lost in overtime to rival Glenwood in the Final Four.

Carr and Maddox are in the running for Mr. and Miss Basketball, which will be announced on March 24 during a noon banquet at The Birmingham News.

They are also two of the 12 area players that earned some kind of All-State recognition from the ASWA.

Along with Carr and Maddox, Smiths Station’s Erika Jones (6A), Loachapoka’s Chantal Hall (1A) and Glenwood’s Bree Nowlin (AISA) all made first team in their classes.

Jones, a UCF signee, averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds a game for the Panthers, Hall averaged 25 points for the Indians is the all-time leading scorer in Loachapoka history with 2,003 points, and Nowlin averaged 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds for the state runner-up Gators.

Central’s Darren Daniel and Monique Jackson (6A) made second team All-State, along with Edward Bell’s Armis Holloway (1A).

Daniel averaged 17.6 points and 9.0 rebounds for the Red Devils, who made their second straight trip to the Final Four, and Holloway averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds for the state champion Bears.

Jackson averaged nearly 18 points and 19 rebounds for Central’s girls, who made it to the Central Region final.

Opelika’s Tay Calloway (6A), Beauregard’s Valeeta Bellamy (5A), LaFayette’s Erica Williams (3A) and Lee-Scott’s Micah Pointer (AISA) earned honorable mentions.

Calloway averaged 14.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Bulldogs, who went 28-6 and made it to the Central Region finals, and Pointer averaged 12.9 points and 8.6 rebounds for the state semifinalist Warriors.

Bellamy averaged 14.8 points and 12.3 rebounds for the Hornets on two bum ankles, and Williams averaged 21 points, five rebounds and eight assists for the Bulldogs.

Putting a bow on Jeff Lebo’s time with Auburn

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This will probably be the last time you see Jeff Lebo’s picture on this blog.

I’ll pause while you weep.

I compiled some numbers, highlights and lowlights of Lebo’s career for tomorrow’s newspaper. You’re going to get them about 12 hours early.

Enjoy.

His record

Year   Overall    SEC           .
2004-05   14-17       4-12 (t-5th, West)
2005-06   12-16       4-12 (t-5th, West)
2006-07   17-15       7-9   (t-3rd, West)
2007-08   14-16       4-12 (6th, West)
2008-09   24-12       10-6 (2nd, West)
2009-10   15-17       6-10 (5th, West)
Total   96-93 (.508)  35-61 (.365)

Five big wins

1. Auburn 89, Mississippi State 80 – March 3, 2010 – A little more than one week before he was fired, Lebo and the senior-led Tigers closed out Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum in style with a momentous victory.
2. Auburn 61, Florida 58 – SEC tournament quarterfinals, March 13, 2009 – Quantez Robertson’s late block sealed the Tigers’ ninth win in 10 games and vaulted them into the SEC semifinals – the farthest Auburn ever made it under Lebo.
3. Auburn 77, Alabama 73 – March 3, 2009 – The Tigers rallied to clinch an SEC Tournament bye, a 20-win season and the third of four consecutive victories over their in-state rival.
4. Auburn 83, Tennessee 80 – Jan. 17, 2007 – Lebo picked up his first victory against ranked competition with the help of 24 points from Frank Tolbert and four clutch free throws from Quan Prowell.
5. Auburn 74, Tulsa 55 – NIT second round, March 20, 2009 – The Tigers romp over the Golden Hurricane gave Auburn 24 wins for the season, which tied for second-most in program history.

Five big losses

1. Alabama 93, Auburn 54 – March 2, 2005 - Lebo’s first trip to Tuscaloosa was forgettable, as the Tigers were outscored by 30 in the second half.
2. Sam Houston State 107, Auburn 89 – Dec. 20, 2009 – Perhaps serving an omen for things to come, the Tigers fell behind early and got bludgeoned in the paint and beyond the arc by the mid-major Bearkats.
3. Tennessee 94, Auburn 85 – SEC Tournament semifinals, March 14, 2009 – The Tigers were likely one win away from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, but the Volunteers prevented it from ever happening by avenging an earlier loss in the season to Auburn.
4. Ole Miss 85, Auburn 75 – Feb. 24, 2010 – For the fourth time, the Tigers let a double-digit lead on the road evaporate during a poor second half.
5. Florida 78, Auburn 69 – March 11, 2010 – Lebo’s fate may have already been sealed, but the Tigers didn’t do much to make a last-second case for him to return in Thursday’s loss.

(Photo credit: Todd Van Emst)

Who should Auburn hire to replace Lebo? I have a suggestion ...

And it’s this guy ...

No, not Larry Bird. The guy shooting over Bird. That’s right, Chuck Person. The Rifleman.

Why?

Well, here’s the beginning of my column that will be in the Opelika-Auburn News. It will give you a couple reasons.

Enjoy.

When Jay Jacobs hired Gene Chizik, one point the Auburn athletic director kept coming back to was that Chizik was the best “fit” to lead the Tigers.

Chizik had the drive, the respect of players and a love for Auburn. As far as Jacobs was concerned, it was a no-brainer.

Well, here’s another one: Hire Chuck Person to replace Jeff Lebo.

You want to talk about a good “fit” for Auburn – for its basketball program? It’s Person. The Rifleman himself.

It just makes sense.

He’s an Auburn legend, who loves the university. His No. 45 jersey is one of just five hanging in the rafters of Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Soon it will move over to the new Auburn Arena.

And Person should be there in person to see it unveiled … as Auburn’s head coach.

And why not?

Think about it. What two things does the Auburn basketball program need more than anything? Players and excitement.

Sure, I can understand some might be hesitant, because there’s no proof of how Person would do as a recruiter. He’s been in the NBA for so long. Could he adapt to the college world?

In a word: yes. I don’t think that would be a problem.

As a player, coach and executive in the NBA for 25 years, my guess is he can evaluate talent. I’m quite sure he knows a good player when he sees one.

Also, I don’t think it’d be very hard to get a recruit excited about playing for him. I mean, this guy knows basketball. And he knows what it takes to make it in the NBA – which is the goal for anyone who can dribble.

He’s currently a special assistant on the L.A. Lakers staff, learning under one of the best coaches ever in Phil Jackson and helping coach a player like Kobe Bryant.

That’s pretty good experience right there. Don’t you think?

To top it all off, he’d have the new arena to sell. It’s pretty nice over there, you know?

And that brings us to the “excitement.”

Person would pump it in by the truckload. This guy is one of the best to ever wear an Auburn uniform. He’s the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer for a career (2,311 points) and for a season (747).

When he came back to be honored a few weeks ago with the rest of the 1985 team that won the SEC Tournament – taking four games in four days –Person received the loudest ovation out of anyone.

After that halftime ceremony, everyone wanted an autograph or to have their photo taken with him. He was like the mayor of BEMC or something.

Imagine the Tigers’ first game in the Auburn Arena. All the glitz and glamour, all the hype and hoopla, and in the middle of it all, here comes Chuck Person leading the team out of the locker room. 

Talk about excitement. The Brantley native comes home to lead the program he helped build out of the doldrums.

The roof might come off that place on the first night.